Is Graco, a well-known baby gear company, truly offering car seats for just $1 through a “National Road Safety Program”? The answer is a resounding no. This viral online promotion is a scam designed to mislead consumers and potentially steal personal information. This article will dissect this deceptive campaign, highlight the red flags, and explain how to protect yourself from such online traps.
The scam surfaced in a Facebook post claiming an unbelievable offer: Graco car seats for only a dollar as part of a “National Road Safety Program” initiative focused on child safety. The post urged users to “Apply Now,” answer simple questions, and secure a car seat for their child, emphasizing limited supply and the urgency to act fast.
The Facebook post featured an image, seemingly promoting this incredible deal. However, a closer look reveals manipulation. The image is actually doctored from a legitimate Instagram post from New Zealand promoting a real Graco car seat giveaway earlier in April 2023. The scammers simply superimposed a yellow “$1” sign and repurposed the image to fabricate their fraudulent offer. The original picture featured the same person, clothing, and car seat, but without any mention of a dollar deal.
The claim mentions a partnership with the “National Road Safety Program.” However, searching online for this program in conjunction with Graco or car seats yields no credible results. This lack of any official presence for such a program is a major red flag. Legitimate national safety programs are typically well-documented and easily verifiable through government or organizational websites.
Clicking the “Apply Now” link in the Facebook scam post directs users to a website – graco.uno – which, while using the Graco Baby logo, is not the official Graco website. The legitimate Graco website address is gracobaby.com. This fake website presents a questionnaire about car seats, further luring users into believing the offer’s authenticity.
Upon completing the questionnaire, users are led to a deceptive game-like page with boxes to choose from, promising a chance to win the $1 car seat. Regardless of the initial choices, the site is rigged to make users “win” on their third attempt. This fabricated win is a tactic to build excitement and further convince victims of the offer’s legitimacy.
After the fake “win,” the website prompts users to enter personal information and credit card details to supposedly pay the $1 for the car seat. This is the ultimate goal of the scam: to harvest sensitive personal and financial data. The checkout page, hosted on a suspicious domain (checkout.dateplacelive.com), raises serious security concerns. There is no indication of how this information will be used or secured, strongly suggesting malicious intent.
Screenshot of the fake checkout page for the car seat scam, requesting personal and credit card information
To protect yourself from such scams, always verify offers directly on the official company website. In this case, a search on gracobaby.com for “National Road Safety Program” or “$1 car seats” reveals no such promotion. Be extremely wary of deals that seem too good to be true, especially those requiring immediate action and personal financial information on unfamiliar websites. Always prioritize your online safety and double-check the legitimacy of online offers before engaging. Reputable companies do not typically conduct promotions through unsolicited social media posts and dubious websites.
